No record of Sikh woman's conversion, says Penang Islamic Dept

There is no record of Surinder Kaur Bedi having converted to Islam despite her body being buried according to Muslim rites, the Penang Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JAIPP) admitted today.

The department, which keeps a registry of converts' details, said that the name of the deceased was not found in their records.

"All I can say is that she was buried according to Muslim rites, as per the wishes of her family," said JAIPP director Zulkifli Long.

"We have followed the mother's religion, which is Islam. We have respected the family's wishes."

When asked if Surinder's conversion to Islam was recorded, Zulkifli replied in the negative.

The burial had prompted Penang Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia spokesperson Naamjit Singh Munjit Singh to call for investigation.

"We want the authorities to probe Surinder's apparent conversion," he said. "We lodged a police report at the Patani Road yesterday."

According to Naamjit, Surinder was converted to Islam just hours before she died from brain injuries.

Under the Penang Islamic Administration Enactment 2004, a person can only convert to Islam if he or she is in "sound mind."

Surinder, 37, landed in the Penang General Hospital after she was allegedly assaulted by a 55-year-old man in Bayan Baru on Saturday.

She was buried at the Jelutong Muslim cemetery yesterday after a postmortem.

Earlier today, Penang mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor (above) confirmed issuing a letter on April 1 to allow Surinder to be buried according to Muslim rites.

Wan Salim made the confirmation after Surinder's brother, Imran Khan Mohamad Qurban Ali – a Muslim convert – went to see the mufti with a copy of a police report he had lodged on the matter earlier.

It is learned that Imran convinced the mufti that his sister had converted as she had purportedly recited the kalimah syahadah (declaration of faith) in front of him and his mother.

'Dangerous precedent'

According to law lecturer Shamsher Thind Singh, Surinder's case sets a "dangerous precedent" as a mufti can now issue a letter to endorse Muslim burial rites for an individual without proof of conversion.

“Who has the power to convert someone? The state Islamic laws dictate that the only the Converts Registrar can declare one’s status as a Muslim,” he said.

Earlier, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy claimed that the conversion was decided on the basis of "two dubious sources" – the testimony of a third party and police report.

He urged for evidence to be produced on Surinder's conversion, as she may or may not have been a Muslim as the time of her death, regardless of whether her family had converted to Islam. - Mkini